Alright,
another short fic that I have been working of for the past day or
two. Don't worry, I haven't given up on my other two stories…
It's just I was in a Leo-ish mood, and wanted to write a story just
for him. It's nothing special, just a lil something that will
hopefully entertain my readers. (And not in a comic way, mind you.)

Heh…
I kindof threw this together, and I tried to edit out as many
mistakes as I could, but if anyone sees a way that I can improve this
story, please don't hesitate to point it out: )

Note
that italics signify thoughts or flashbacks.

Disclaimer:
The Ninja Turtles and other related characters do not belong to me.

This
story has been slightly edited. Nothing too big, everyone... just
some spelling/grammar/ it'll-sound-better-if-I-type-this changes. :-)

Stabbed

I
opened my eyes for what could be the last time, taking in the
familiar surroundings of my room. My back was against the wall, with
my legs haphazardly folded underneath me in what could be viewed as a
mock imitation of the lotus position. But I couldn't meditate. I
didn't dare. For I feared that if I shut my eyes again, it would be
the last thing I would do.

Every
breath that I took sent sharp pains flowing though my body, starting
from the wound in my chest and spider-webbing through my veins,
making the once simple task of breathing an agony.

I
focused my vision on the small candle that I had managed to light
before I collapsed against the wall. The small, flickering flame did
nothing to banish the darkness that surrounded me, choked me, nor did
it succeed in soothing my pain, physical or emotional. My eyes
followed a blob of wax as it slithered down the candle's
cylindrical form, representing the tears that I dare not shed. For
once, my stubborn pride does not cause me to resist the urge to cry.
I only hold back because cannot afford to waste my energy on such an
act.

But...
is it possible that I am taking up more energy holding them
back?

My
animal instincts, the ones that come naturally to a turtle, tell me
the end is near. The turtle part of me is ready to die. The tiny
flame of it's presence flickers in the back of my mind. It whispers
to me, urging me to let go. However, the other, more human side of me
refuses to give up so easily. It digs its heels into life, fighting a
loosing battle to stay in this world, in this conciousness. I readily
follow it's example.

I
won't leave now. I can't. Not while I still have a family to take
care of. My brothers— my beloved brothers that I will do anything
to protect-- still need me. I must be here to give them strength,
reassurance, during this terrible time.

As
Master Splinter instructed me to do before he passed three days ago.

Desperately,
I begin seek comfort, distraction, in my surroundings. Something that
will allow me to hold on until my kin return. My eyes fall onto the
trail of blood snaking its way from somewhere outside my door to a
pool that surrounds me, a grisly reminder of my current condition. I
painfully look down to see blood spurting from around the short blade
embedded in my chest, feeding the ever- growing pool of the
life-giving fluid.

The
dark pool reminds me that I am hanging onto life not by a rope, but
by a mere thread.

Suddenly
a great wave of energy seems to seep through my skin, and I slump
even more against the ever-supporting wall. Exhaustion overtakes me,
and the urge to simply lie back and sleep grows strong. But still my
stubbornness prevents me from giving in to the darkness. I blink
hard, trying to clear a sudden blur in my vision. Though instead of
succeeding in getting my sight back, I am greeted with another
result.

The
image of a beautiful Japanese woman floats just inches away from me.
My killer, Karai. I reach out to her, only succeeding in grasping
thin air, not realizing that the image was nothing but a
hallucination.

I
was alone. Well, not alone in a sense that there are no other beings
around, just alone… as in without my brothers. There are plenty of
others around, humans that I can see from a birds eye view as I jump
from building to building. They go about their daily life, completely
unaware of my presence.

…Or
so I hoped. Ever since the Triceratons had broadcasted out existence
publicly over the planet, more and more of those alien freaks ('Men
in Black', Mikey called them) were searching virtually everywhere for
us… including the sewers. Good thing that Donnie had put up
all those handy gadgets that kept our lair hidden. Otherwise we would
have found ourselves taken to a lab and dissected before one could
shout 'cowabunga' three times.

I
was out and about because I needed to get out of the lair. I needed
to be away from the sadness that had been constantly lingering over
my shoulder. No matter what room I went into, the sounds of
Michelangelo sobbing or Raph beating the stuffing out of his punching
bag still somehow managed to travel to my ears. I couldn't take it
anymore. I had comforted my brothers many times while they grieved…
But I needed to grieve, too, in my own way. And so I left a note on
the kitchen table, telling my brothers to expect me about two hours.
I figured two hours was plenty of time to do whatever I had to do.

It
felt good to be alone, to clear my thoughts. To ponder without
interruption what Master had said to me on his last breath, as the
fever finally won over his body. Apparently, he trusted me to achieve
the goal that he was unable to accomplish in his life: To kill
Shredder, and therefore avenge Yoshi.

But
where, when, and how? Was I truly ready to carry out his dying wish?
Father spent his life as a sentient being training for us for
this…maybe he didn't expect the deed to be carried out right
away? I sighed in frustration as I landed in a puddle, splashing cold
rainwater all around me. I raised my head to the clear night sky,
wishing that I could see the stars. But the city's lights are too
bright for that. I felt hot tears burn my eyes, threatening to
shatter my composure for the umpteenth time since my father passed.
And, for the umpteenth time, I held them back.

"Master,
when will I know that I am ready?" I spoke to the black atmosphere,
my heart weighed down with sorrow, grief, and confusion.

The
only response that came to me was a light breeze, just enough to make
the ends of my blue mask stir. Frustrated with the answer I received,
I growled ill temperedly to myself and clenched my hands into fists,
holding them up before me. I had fought Shredder many times before.
Together, with my family.

"And
every single danm time we lost," I voiced my thoughts bitterly,
"And during those battles we had you with us, master. How are we to
do this without you?"

The
breeze grew stronger. Was it replying? No, that couldn't be. There
are no such things as ghosts, or communicating with the dead.

…But
if I didn't believe in communicating with the dead, then why was I
speaking to my dead father? Was it out of desperation to hear his
voice again?

Suddenly,
I froze as stiff as a statue. I was no longer alone. I sensed the
presence of another being. Was it one of my brothers? No, it couldn't
be…

"Leonardo."
An adult female voice, laced with a Japanese accent, wafted from the
shadows. I knew who it was, and would have liked to relax in her
presence, to trust her. But I couldn't. She was my enemy's
daughter, and she owed him everything; unfortunatly for myself and my
brothers, the demise of the Shredder's worst enemies were at thetop
of the list. Though she had a sense of honor that was unlike her
father's…if she had to kill me, at least I had the small comfort
that she was carrying out the order reluctantly, against her will.

"Show
yourself, Karai." The words that came from my mouth were much
harsher than intended. Part of me hoped that she would disregard my
tone.

"Leonardo."
She said again, melting from the shadows to my left. "I have to…"
She paused, reading my facial expression in the dim light. "What
ails you?" Was that concern in her voice?

I
pretended that I didn't hear her question. "You have to what? I
don't have time to talk, so let's get this over with." Why was
I being so unpleasant? Usually when Karai and I met, we spoke more
formally, almost kindly, to each other. But now…

She
seemed slightly agitated about something. "I must… Leonardo,
understand that it was just a twist of fate that we met tonight. For
the past week, my master sent me out on a patrol to…find you."

"And
be rid of me." I meant what I said to some out as a question, not a
statement. She bowed her head. "Karai, this news is not new to
me."

"I
am aware of that, Leonardo. Normally I would have let you go, but…
I am being watched."

"Then
aren't you worried that they will pick up on this conversation?"

In
response, she drew her weapon.

I
felt adrenaline begin to coarse through my veins, but I didn't move
to draw my own katanas. "Do you really plan to go through with
this?" It seemed like the right question to ask, despite the fact
that both of us already knew the answer.

"Leonardo,
please understand that I must."

"You
must what? Kill me? For what, love, honor?"

"You
know. You are not a stupid man, Leonardo."

"If
you follow Saki's orders, then I don't believe that you are
allowed to view me as a man."

"Please,
I beg you to let me get on with this."

"I
have done nothing to stop you." I said, "If you had truely
wanted to kill me out of cold blood as your father orders, then I
would be fighting for my life by now. Karai, that's what separates
you from Shredder's other assassins. You know what you do is wrong.
I ask you again: do you really want to do this?"

She
sighed, lowered her gaze. "Yes, Leonardo. I must kill you, as my
master orders."

"That
being your decision, I'll let you know that I can't let you do
that, Karai, and you know why." I said, drawing my katana. If it
were not for my family, I would have allowed her to run me though
then and there. But I still had duties to accomplish.

She
nodded behind the lethal protection of her cold steel. "Let us
battle honorably, then."

"There
is no honor in killing a once-called ally." Long ago, when Shredder
was thought to be dead and Karai took over the Foot, she promised
allegiance. But, once her father came back, the promise was broken.

Guilt
made Karai hesitate momentarily before she moved to strike.

At
some point during that battle, she had managed to plunge one of her
short daggers into my chest. I had hesitated for half a heartbeat,
and that was all the time she needed.

And,
by lifting her arm to stab me, she left her left side wide open. I
attacked, and one slash with my twin blades led to another…

The
image of her lifeless body flashed before my eyes, and I shuddered
involuntarily. I didn't want to kill her. I cared for her as a
friend, and Raphael always hated the tenderness that I expressed.
'Shredder's bitch' was his nickname for her. He always told me
that she would betray us one day, and we would kill each other… And
now it had happened. And it was my fault for not listening.

It
was my fault that she was gone, and my fault that her blade is still
lodged in my chest… If I had stayed here, where I belonged, instead
of succumbing to my aching heart, this would never have happened…

I
could not tell whose blood covered my body, Karai's or mine.
Probably both. Heart full of shame, I turned away from the body,
which had it's left side sliced open and it's throat slit...

Her
death added to the grief that weighed my heart down. She had been a
beautiful woman in many respects.

My
thoughts were interrupted as pain threatened to split my chest in two
at that simple movement of turning away. My breath hissed out from
between my teeth as I automatically put a hand to my chest, realizing
that the knife was still there. 'Better not pull it out…' I
remember thinking. 'Better let Donnie take care of it…'

I
looked up at the sky, realizing that dawn was beginning to break on
the horizon. How long had I been away from home? How long have I left
my brothers alone?

I
tried to take a step forward, but the pain increased and I had to
stop, gritting my teeth until the wave passed. Even if I could
stumble all the way to the lair, it would be a very painful task.
Plus, I'd probably loose more blood than I needed to. I didn't
think that the blade had hit any major organs, but it was still a
good idea to be cautious...

I
reached for my shell cell, only to realize with a sinking feeling
that I had left it at home, on my desk.

'Great.'

The
first time that I forgot something this important, and it had to be a
possibly life-threatening situation.

I
was left with no choice but to stumble home. It was a miracle that I
made it. As soon as I made it through the lair doors, I called weakly
for my brothers, but they didn't seem to be home. And so, not
really knowing why, I had staggered half-blindly into my room, where
sit now.

Why
aren't my brothers home? Did they go searching for me? If they had,
would I have been better off staying on the rooftop? If only I could
call my brothers, find out where they were…

I'm
am so tired… I can barely keep my eyes open, let alone get up and
go to the old cordless phone in the kitchen.

…My
shell cell. Where did I leave it again? As I strained to remember,
the world began to spin around me. I held my breath, willing the
ucomfortable feeling to pass.

…My
desk. I had left the thing on my desk, which was... right next to me.
Painfully, I reached up, feeling the diziness increase with each inch
higher I lifted my lead- heavy arm. Finally my fingers clasped around
the small gadget.

The
small shell- shaped phone opened with the touch of a button, and
automatically directed me to my phonebook. I highlighted the first
name on the list and pushed the talk button, barely aware of what I
was doing. The phone rang a few times before the voice of my younger
brother picked up.

"Leo?
The hell are you?" Donnie didn't seem as calm as usual... In
fact, if it wasn't for the pitch of his voice, I would have thought
him to be Raph.

I
opened my mouth to speak, finding it not so easy as I thought. My
throat felt like the sahara, and my jaw ached for some reason or
another. "I-I'm at home. Donnie… I got stabbed."

The
few seconds of silence seemed to stretch to fit the length of a
lifetime before Don responded. "Y-you what?"

"I
think its bad." My speech was slurring. I was no doctor, but I knew
my condition had to be pretty bad. Of the many clues that gave my
poor health away, a slipping conciousness was perhaps the most
conspicuous.

"Did
you pull the knife out?" I didn't answer. Another wave of
dizziness had hit me hard, and I feared if I opened my mouth I would
be sick. "Leo? Leo!" Don tried desperately to call me back to
reality. I could hear his heavy breathing on the other line, as
though he was running. "Leo, hold on. Stay with me. Talk to me.
Tell me how bad it is. Tell me where the blade got you..."

I
couldn't answer. It was as though the gift of speech had been
mercilessly ripped from my body, leaving me with only exhaustion. My
eyelids began drooping slowly, and my head lolled to the side. I was
loosing consciousness…

"Leo!
No! ...Listen to me! Count to ten with me... do something
productive!" Don's voice cracked. Or was it my phone's lack
of signal? Either way, it was becoming very difficult to hear my
brother… his voice was so far away…

Darkness
slowly crept across my vision. My grip on the phone loosened, and
then the small device slipped from my slack fingers and fell to the
ground with a clack. My body fell awkwardly to the side.

On
the small screen of the cell, Donatello's name flashed, signifying
that my phone had lost signal.

Hmm…
I originally wanted this to be a one shot... but maybe I should write
another chapter. What do yo guys think?

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.